Author: MC2

Its coming…

Posted on by MC2 · Leave a comment

It is late March and the spring bloom is almost here along the southern end of Lake Michigan, almost. I suspect that the cold winter has pushed things back a bit as compared to last year. There is definitely a lot of green pushing its way up from under the blanket of fallen leaves from last year, but not too much yet in the way of blooming wildflowers. Not that there is anything wrong with that, with nature you take what it gives and that is part of what makes it so special. You never know what you are going to see on any given outing.

(You can click on any of the images below to view them full size.)

In the marshes we do have skunk cabbage and crocus’s popping up.

This is pretty typical of what you see along the Great Marsh trail right now. Doesn’t seem like much to look at. This spot however was one of many that was packed with Skunk Cabbage. Skunk Cabbage is an early flowering plant that generates heat to push its way up through snow. It has a skunky smell which attracts flys which are the most common early pollenators.
Get down closer to the ground and you can see the Skunk Cabbages with their red and green coloring.
Get in really close and you can see the fruit hiding inside.
Skunk Cabbage tend to come up either singly or in tight clumps of 3 to 4 plants.

Crocus’s are small, but their intense purples make them pretty easy to spot among the tans and browns that make up most of the early spring ground clutter.

Crocus’s appear in nice size patches.
Some Crocus’s can be a very rich, deep hue of purple. The Stamen/Pistil is an equally rich golden-yellow color.
Others have translucent white petals.
And some are a wonderful combination of purple veined white.

Favorite pool of stagnant water…

Posted on by MC2 · Leave a comment

Yes, I actually have a favorite pool of stagnant water out at the Indiana Dunes. Several as it turns out. But my absolute favorite is this one spot on the Bailly Calumet trail. A 3ft wide depression next to the trail that is always full of water in the spring. Consequently it is also full of larvae! Mostly mosquito larvae, but probably plenty of others including various flys. I have been visiting this particular puddle for 3 years now. I like to check it out several times through out the spring to watch how it evolves.

(Click on any image to view it full size.)

Here is a close up of what I found in my favorite pool of stagnant water on this day in mid March. See all those tiny black lines, with the little ball at one end? They kinda look like an old fashioned thermometer. Those are mosquito larvae. Now I hate mosquitos, they make summer more unpleasant than -5 degree weather in January. But I still love watching how their larvae grow change over time. That’s one of the things I like most about nature. Even its most miserable parts are utterly fascinating when you look at them the right way.
Here is a closeup of the exact same stagnant pool of water taken a year ago in mid May. As you can see, on this day it was chock full of maturing mosquito larvae and maggots. I cannot wait to revisit this years version later in the spring!

Do you have a favorite pool of stagnant water? If not, why not.